


Whispers Of The Sea

by chasingastarlight



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: First Kiss, Multi, Post canon, boys and their feelings, james is a pain in the ass, scorbus being idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-11 02:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7871710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingastarlight/pseuds/chasingastarlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scorpius joins Albus and his family for a two-week vacation in Italy.<br/>The two boys will have to face their feelings and decide which path is the right one to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Scorpius couldn’t still believe that his father had agreed to this. As he sat down beside Albus, who was next to James, on the backseat of a rusty car rented by the Potters, he had to repress a groan of excitement. It was the start of his real summer holidays, even if he had already spent two weeks with his father back at home, this was what he was looking forward to. 

It had all been Hermione’s and Harry’s idea, since they were familiar with the muggles, to spend two weeks in a little village by the beach, living as far away from magic as they could after such a complicated year. Of course Draco hadn’t been happy with the idea when he first got a letter from Ginny asking him to let Scorpius go with them. It was clear to Scorpius that his father didn’t trust any of them and that he still held some grudges against Harry, so he begged for days until Draco gave up and wrote to Ginny, demanding to know every last detail about the trip and what they’d be doing, what would be Scorpius’ part in all of it and who would be watching over them, apart from a threatening warning if any harm was done to his son. Scorpius had never been happier, and he even hugged his father tightly and promised him to behave, Draco hadn’t said a word back then, but he held his son back tight and hoped that nothing bad would happen to him. 

Behind Ginny’s letter there had been days and days of Albus begging both of his parents to invite his best friend over. Harry had laughed at him the first time – ‘’a Malfoy, coming on holidays with us, have you lost your mind?’’ – but Ginny had quickly understood what it meant for her son to have that kid around, and after a few arguments with Harry, he had given up on his initial position and agreed to let her ask Draco. Harry was reluctant, but Albus knew right away that his father’s old enemy would end up agreeing to it, because his love for Scorpius was far stronger than whatever grudges he could hold against them, and he had been right. Draco had travelled with Scorpius in order to drop him at their house in the morning, and had politely invited Albus to spend a few days in the Malfoy Manor when they got back if he wanted, to which the young Potter had replied he’d think about it and thanked him for it. Where as Harry had acted a bit distant, Ginny truly appreciated his visit, and told him he could be in contact with his son via owl post, but she also explained that it would be far easier for him to just use a common muggle mobile phone, to which Draco frowned but asked for the number they’d be using anyway. 

They had firstly travelled by plane, for the kids it was their first time on it and they all had loved it except for James, who had been sulking the whole time saying how he didn’t like to fly if it wasn’t on a broom. He then went on to complain about the car that Harry chose to rent once they landed on Italy, and they all were relieved when he ended up falling asleep during the drive. Albus and Scorpius didn’t have time to sleep as they were too busy chatting non-stop, and they kept on doing so until they reached, at dusk, the house they’d be living in for the next two weeks.

It was an amazing place, the house itself was bigger than any of theirs – except for Scorpius, of course – consisting of five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen big enough for a whole family and a huge living room. The yard that surrounded it was big enough for a Quidditch field, but since they were not allowed to use magic in their holidays, it would have to be used for normal sports. As they walked around it, they found out that it also had a swimming pool in the backyard, and the views from there were those of which they had only dreamt about, with the sea standing right in front of them as the sun went down. It was an amazing landscape, they all stood speechless at it and even James kept quiet for about a minute. Harry pulled Ginny close to him and kissed her cheek softly, smiling as he stared at their children standing together. Lily had travelled with Ron and Hermione, but had come to them as soon as she got off the car. 

‘’Do you like it, kids?’’ Ron asked, walking up to meet Lily and Hugo, who were looking at the sunset together. 

Both of them nodded enthusiastically and the man grinned, then took Hermione’s hand and walked into the house, being followed by the rest of the adults shortly after. James excused himself to the room he had chosen and the two younger kids stayed outside playing together. Scorpius and Albus were left to the only room that was downstairs, but they didn’t mind it so much, it had two single beds separated by two night-stands, and a rather large sofa. They put the bed’s sheets on them and then decided to put on their swimsuits and go for a swim in the pool. They were joined by James, who wouldn’t stop throwing water at them and trying to keep Albus’ head underwater for as long as he could, Scorpius would try to defend his friend but James was far stronger than them and had his brother beg for mercy after several seconds of feeling like he was going to drown. He got angry and said that he wouldn’t be in the pool near him anymore, to which James laughed alone until it hit him that he had been left alone there and had no one to play with. Scorpius ran after his friend, finding him sulking standing on the sofa in their room.

‘’You didn’t have to run away like this, you know…’’ 

‘’He’s so annoying! You’re lucky you don’t have to live with him.’’

‘’I guess… I would’ve liked to have a brother when I was younger though, but I would hate it if he had been like James.’’

‘’You really would have.’’ Albus replied with a chuckle, suddenly forgetting that he was angry, and stood up from the sofa. ‘’Do you wanna go back to the pool?’’

Scorpius shrugged as if he didn’t mind, but he was actually eager to do so, and he followed his best friend along the long corridors of the house until they got outside and he stopped mid-way. Rose stood on the edge of the pool, her skin glowing in the dark with the last strikes of light coming from the sky, Scorpius stared at her in awe, and Albus couldn’t help but smirk at him, even if he didn’t quite like it. He decided to run and push the girl so that she would fall, but she was quicker and her cousin was the one to end up falling into the water. The Malfoy laughed and joined them in the water, awkwardly trying to get along with Rose but she would simply not pay attention to him and focused on her brother and Lily instead.

They went to bed early that night, happy, exhausted but feeling light-hearted, and as sleep came to haunt him, Scorpius realised how glad he was to have found someone like Albus and how he’d love for him to understand the feelings he had been hiding for so long. Rose was a beautiful girl, he had tried to develop a real crush on her, in order to forget Albus, for so long that he had almost believed it. Now the feeling was weird, he wouldn’t mind holding her hand, going on trips to Hogsmeade, or even kissing her. He would probably like that, he thought, he would definitely like that, but he knew deep in his heart that he would prefer to do all those things with the boy sleeping on the other bed next to him. He wondered what it’d be like to be in a relationship with Albus. Not very different from what they already had, just adding the kissing part and the romantic stuff, he guessed. He had read about a lot of people in love, mostly gay couples since he had found a very interesting LGBT book section in Hogwarts’ library as soon as he started feeling things towards Albus. He had questioned its existence, he doubted that it was there before, but he got some really good stories from it and so he never asked. He knew he couldn’t be the only bloke who felt things for another bloke in the whole castle, but truth was he had never seen anyone else wandering around that special part of the shelves, and he didn’t feel brave enough to ask anyone about it. In those books he learnt about things that normal, heterosexual stories, hadn’t taught him, and he also felt identified with the story of a special boy who had been in love with his best friend for twenty years. He hoped he wouldn’t have to spend so many years of his life hiding his feelings, though. There was also the issue with his father; it wasn’t that he thought him to be homophobic, he had already tested the waters and Draco had made it clear that he had no problem with gay people. Scorpius, however, had remained silent about his own sexuality, even if he knew he’d have his dad’s full support about that, the man would like to know who was in his son’s radar and a Potter’s name could be too much to bear for the old Malfoy.

Albus, on the other hand, tried to think of anything that wasn’t his friend’s body in that swimsuit. Scorpius’ gleaming pale skin was all he could picture in his brain as he tried to fall asleep, his dashing smile and his grey eyes full of light, of freedom, of happiness. He had never seen Scorpius in such a state, and he had loved it way too much. He wondered how much longer he’d be able to keep quiet about his feelings, which felt as though a beast was hiding in his belly, chewing through the insides of his body trying to get out. He wanted to shout it to his friend, but every time he felt brave enough to do so he had to face the stare that Scorpius was giving to Rose. Stupid boy, couldn’t he see Rose wasn’t and would never be interested in him? He had to admit he was a bit jealous of her, to receive all of the kind of attention he so badly craved, but he couldn’t tell her, he couldn’t tell anyone, it would risk the only friendship he had managed to make. The thing was, there had been times when Scorpius and him were all by themselves in the Slytherin common room, times when everybody in the castle had left for Hogsmeade and yet Scorpius stayed with him as he sulked about everything. It was truly admiring, he thought, for such an amazing and talented boy to stay by his side, the side of a total loser. Sometimes he thought that Scorpius only wanted him because he was the only one who got even more bullied than him, but then he saw it in his eyes… Scorpius’ eyes were his safe place, the only thing that mattered in the whole world was for them to keep shining, even if that meant having to give his best friend and his cousin some time alone. 

If that was what Scorpius seeked during the holidays, to finally be able to start something with Rose after so many years crushing on her, who the hell was him to deny him the pleasure of doing so? He made up his mind as sleep finally knocked on his door; he’d let go of Scorpius and see what happened, and if fate wanted them together then sure as hell they would find their way back together.


	2. Chapter 2

They were woken up by Ginny’s knocks on their door, way earlier than what they were expecting. Albus grunted before getting up to open it and see what his mum wanted, which was simply to ask them if they’d like to go with them to have breakfast in the village before going to the beach. He didn’t feel like arguing and he knew that refusing would only lead them there, so he just nodded and Ginny left with a smile. 

‘’Scor, get up.’’ He called softly pushing his friend’s shoulder.

‘’What time is it?’’ The blonde guy asked with a husky voice, still half asleep.

‘’You don’t really want to know…’’ Albus chuckled, ‘’but come on now, or we’ll be missing the fun that is my uncle Ron having breakfast.’’

They ended up in a magnificent place near the coast, and Scorpius could easily understand what his friend was referring to when he woke him up, as soon as the food was on the table the ginger man started getting all he could in his plate and tried absolutely everything that there was to try, even ordering some more stuff that they hadn’t already served. He tried not to laugh, but he joined when he realised that the rest were doing so. They had fun together, they were a big, happy, family, and he felt a sting in the chest when the thought of how different their families were hit him. He didn’t even feel bad for himself, at least he could enjoy it while he could, but his father… he felt wrong for his father, and he wished Draco would’ve felt so good when he was a child, because he was sure as hell he hadn’t.

After breakfast, Ron and Harry went to buy some stuff while Hermione and Ginny took them all to the beach. It was a small bay with only two people apart from them, an elderly couple that frowned as soon as they heard Hugo and Lily screaming, since it was still early. James stripped off his clothes as he ran to the water, leaving them all spread on the sand, ignoring his mother’s angry command of coming back so that he could get sun lotion. The rest of them stayed and waited to get some of it before getting inside the sea. The water’s temperature was perfect, Scorpius thought, in comparison to the cold waters he had experienced in the very few times he had been taken to the beach. However, he didn’t have much time to enjoy himself before someone tackled him and made him fall, and he struggled to get air as James kept his head under the water while laughing hysterically. The Potter only let go when his brother pushed him aside, and Scorpius smiled in gratitude at his best friend.

‘’Wow, easy there, kid, I promise I wasn’t going to kill your boyfriend.’’ James mocked Albus. ‘’We were just having fun, weren’t we, nerd?’’

Scorpius didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything, and Albus jumped onto his brother with his fists ready to punch his face, but the older brother was faster and had him under the water in a matter of seconds. Scorpius doubted it for a second, but then he found in himself a strength he didn’t know he had and ran to help his friend. Together, they fought James for a solid ten minutes until Rose suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

‘’Oi James, stop it now, you’re annoying everyone around you!’’ She yelled.

‘’Me? Last time I checked, it was two against one, I don’t see how it’s my fault that they decided to attack me and I defended myself!’’

‘’Mom says if you two don’t stop you won’t be allowed to come down here anymore,’’ she warned, ‘’come with me Scorpius, leave them alone.’’

Scorpius hesitated for a moment, heart torn between his best friend and the easy escape that the girl offered him.

‘’See you later, mate.’’ He said as a goodbye to Albus before running away from him and to Rose.

‘’Interesting, never saw her as the kind to fall for a posh guy,’’ James commented, ‘’but guess you can never know with a girl, can you?’’

Albus ignored him, a twisted dark feeling growing and roaring inside him, and walked away without even turning to look at his brother. 

‘’C’mon Al, don’t get mad at him, he’s a boy it’s only natural he wants to spend time with a girl instead of his best friend.’’ He insisted, running to him and putting his arm around his shoulders. ‘’Unless you’re upset for some other reason…’’

‘’Since when do you care about me?’’ Albus spat, ‘’You’ve never done so don’t try to pretend as though you do now, just leave me alone.’’

James opened his mouth to say something else, but Albus pushed his arm apart from him and walked faster to get away from him, so he just stood there watching as his little brother disappeared behind a pile of rocks. He wondered what had happened, but he shrugged it off and ran to meet his sister and his little cousin to play with them.

Meanwhile, Scorpius and Rose sat together at a bar terrace eating ice cream that the boy had bought in an attempt to woo her. She had known, of course, but said nothing and just enjoyed the fact that she didn’t to waste any of her money.

‘’You know… I think I owe you an apology,’’ she said, ‘’for treating you so badly during all these years. I honestly don’t know why… I just didn’t like you, it was completely irrational and a very mean thing to do. I’m sorry, Scorpius, I know you don’t need to hear it but I think it’s only right if we’re to start over…’’

‘’As you said, I didn’t need to hear it.’’ He replied with a shy smile. ‘’I know you didn’t mean it, it was just prejudice against my family and I can’t blame you after what happened between my dad and your mother. But I’m not like him, not even he is like that anymore, so no need to hold grudges.’’

‘’I still feel bad, you didn’t deserve all of it. I’m not saying the same about your father, though.’’

Scorpius chuckled, and for a moment it seemed as though the world didn’t exist and there was only that moment; them, together, him, with a girl. Lost in time and space. But that was just an illusion, and he knew better than to believe in anything anyone said.

‘’That’s because you don’t know him, I think you’d like him if you did. He’s a bit… odd, I reckon, but he’s the smartest person I know.’’

‘’That’s because you don’t know my mum!’’ Rose laughed.

‘’I will, soon, though.’’

Rose didn’t answer, she just smiled and so Scorpius did too. She stared at the sea while he stared at her curls waving with the soft summer breeze, he watched as she ate and licked a bit of ice cream off her upper lip. He couldn’t deny the girl was beautiful, the way she just seemed to glow with an inner light inside her and how she always had control of every situation. That power in her attracted him with the energy of a hurricane, and he knew if she wanted to kiss him right there, in that exact moment, he wouldn’t hold back. However, she didn’t look as though she was thinking of it, so he just stopped lurking and stared at the sea as well. He couldn’t help his eyes from looking for Albus, and got worried when he didn’t find him alongside James and the little ones.

‘’Hey, Rose, do you see Albus?’’

‘’Now that you say it, I was wondering the same…’’ She said, looking a bit concerned. ‘’James and him probably had an argument and he left, I guess.’’

His mind was torn again this time, thinking whether or not he should go fetch Albus from whenever he was hiding – because he knew very well how his friend liked to hide when he was upset about anything – or simply stay with Rose. Once again, as much as that part of him screamed that it was wrong, he chose her.

That night, after they had had dinner, James asked for permission to go out and they let him. He asked if he could take the others as well, and after five minutes debating it, they allowed them as well. However, only Rose agreed to go with him.

‘’I’d shoot myself before having to go out to party with my brother.’’ Albus said, a few hours later, as they lied on the grass near the pool outside.

‘’Aw, why? It wasn’t only your brother, I would have been there too and…’’

‘’Would you, really? I don’t recall you being there this morning.’’

Albus immediately regretted saying that out loud, but there was no going back, so he just stared as his friend stood up and sat above him.

‘’I just went away for an hour or two!’’ Scorpius complained. ‘’Besides, it’s not like you were paying much attention to me either, fighting with James…’’

‘’We both were! You just went with her because you wanted to be alone with her, just admit it!’’ He replied, sitting as well in order to face him.

‘’What the hell are you on about?! Are you… are you mad I left you alone? Why didn’t you tell me to stay then if it bothered you that much?!’’

‘’And have James mock me about it forever? No thanks. I’m not mad you left with her, just forget it okay.’’

‘’Albus, what’s wrong?’’ Scorpius asked, suddenly concerned and no longer angry, as he put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘’You know you can trust me with anything, right?’’

‘’I know, and you know you can trust me too so believe me when I say it’s nothing, I’m just in a bad mood tonight.’’

‘’You want us to play something? I brought my chess with me and also gobstones… we could also do it the muggle way and play with those cards your dad has bought. I don’t mind.’’ 

Albus shrugged. ‘’I guess we can have a go at chess. It’ll surely improve my mood if I beat you.’’

‘’In your dreams.’’ Scorpius quickly replied.

The two friends laughed together and they went inside to get the chessboard. They also fetched a blanket and then went back outside to play on it. Scorpius won, as usual, but it had improved Albus mood all the same. They decided to play again, and just like that they stayed there into late hours of the night. They weren’t even playing anymore, just chatting as they stared at the stars, when they heard the front door opening. James and Rose had come back, and by the sounds of it – the muffled laughs and someone stumbling upon something – they had had far more fun than what their parents would expect, at least of Rose. Albus quickly turned off the light so that they wouldn’t go to annoy them and just thought they were asleep. Scorpius crawled to Albus’ side and together they tried to overhear their drunken conversation since they had decided to stay in the kitchen, near the backdoor.  
'‘I dunno, but if y’want me to get ya help with it… tomorrow, could ask ‘em to come, I’ll figure it out.’’ James was saying.

‘’If your brother’d just, y’know just… was less of… what he is…’’

‘’Albus’ fine, bit boring I’ll give you that, but he won’t listen to me.’’

‘’Do you think we’ll be able to get them out tomorrow?’’

‘’Just leave it to me, I promise it’ll all go to plan.’’

‘’Thanks, James’’ 

They heard her footsteps slowly getting away from there, being followed by James’ soon after. Albus didn’t realise he had been holding his breath until that moment, and Scorpius was just the same. They both looked at each other, unsure of what to say, both of them with a million theories about what they had just heard, none of them able to say them out loud. They just looked at each other and then they got up from the floor and went to bed. Albus was scared about it, but Scorpius was just excited. Whatever they had prepared for them, he was sure it couldn’t bring anything bad for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Scorpius woke up earlier than Albus that morning, unsure of what to do, he stayed in bed for a few minutes until it got too boring and decided to wander around alone. He went to the kitchen intending to have breakfast on his own, but there he found Hermione and Ron and he couldn’t turn back before they saw him and waved. Embarrassed, he took a seat as they prepared everything for him. 

‘’Did you sleep well, Scorpius?’’ Hermione asked. ‘’Is Albus still asleep?’’

‘’Uh, yeah, I didn’t think I should wake him up, but should I?’’

‘’No, no! It’s okay, it’s quite early, do you normally have to get up at this hour?’’

‘’What? No, well, father doesn’t let me sleep in till late but as long as it’s not too late…’’

‘’Does he treat you well?’’

‘’Hermione!’’ Ron reproached. ‘’Of course he does, doesn’t he, kid?’’

Scorpius nodded, suddenly afraid that he might have caused them to start a fight, but luckily he noticed he hadn’t.

‘’I had to ask, Ron,’’ She calmly said, ‘’anyway, I’m glad he let you come.’’ 

‘’So am I! He’s never taken me on such a trip… I mean, when my mum was alive we would go on holidays but that was only them and me… it’s not quite the same. We’re not that close with anyone like your families are, not even in our own family.’’

‘’Don’t you go on holidays anymore?’’ Hermione inquired, looking concerned. 

Ron snorted and excused himself out, knowing far too well that his wife’s curiosity had no limits and not willing to see how the kid got embarrassed to death. 

Scorpius blushed. ‘’Well… he didn’t take it so well… he tried to, once, but it was miserable.’’

‘’He seems to be trying so hard… he’s changed a lot, Draco… we were sort of enemies, but when you and Albus went missing I could see the face of a man who’s truly trying to mend his ways, he’s a different person.’’ She said as she placed food on the table.

‘’I know you weren’t the best of friends,’’ Scorpius answered, taking a bite of toast, ‘’but I also know he’s sorry for what he used to say to you. Not so sorry about Harry and Ron, though.’’

Hermione smiled, she seemed moved by his words, but she didn’t make any further comment as Ginny appeared in the room and, after greeting them both, started a conversation with Hermione about the plans for the day. Scorpius silently left the kitchen and went back to his room, in where Albus was still asleep, so he killed the time sending a message to his father. He wasn’t sure if he would ever figure out how to reply to it, but he did anyway and then he proceeded to wake Albus up. 

They didn’t talk about what they had heard in all day, just waiting it out, and it wasn’t until dinner time that James took Albus by the arm and quietly dragged him into his room in which his brother feared would be the invitation to go out with them. He wasn’t wrong.

‘’Al, we had a great time last night, Rose and I, and we would like for you and Scorpius to come along tonight if you’d like. And maybe you don’t want to, but you should ask him anyway.’’

‘’Don’t call me Al,’’ he snorted, ‘’and why would we ever want to hang out with you?’’

‘’Well, I’m glad you’re asking little brother! You see, we met a huge international group last night. Some of them told us they come here every summer and so a bunch of the locals are already friends with them, I didn’t ask where they were from and they didn’t look like wizards so I don’t know...’’ He got lost in his thoughts for a second. ’’Anyway, the thing is, they were very cool and they shared their drinks with us since we hadn’t bought anything but tonight we’re planning to do so and… you know, Al, you could use with a little bit of incentive.’’

‘’What the hell are you on about, an incentive?’’ Albus frowned, ‘’I don’t know James, I reckon Scorpius might want to go but I…’’

‘’But you will be coming as well! You see, there’s loads of hot girls in this place, I already got one following me last night, I’m sure even you will be able to drag someone’s attention.’’

‘’James, I don’t know if you’ve realised but if mom and dad found out by someone that you’re trying to get us into drinking alcohol…’’

‘’Who said anything about alcohol?!’’ James cheerfully replied, ‘’Of course you’re not drinking tonight, you’re still too young and as you said mum would kill me!’’

‘’You got Rose to drink last night, didn’t you?’’ Albus accused him.

‘’Look, she wanted to, alright? And she’s already fifteen, it’s not like she’s a baby anymore and neither are you. There were people her age doing so, and she followed. I didn’t have anything to do with it Albus, I swear.’’

‘’Why are you so keen on us going out? You hate me.’’

‘’I don’t hate you… I want it for a reason, you’ll see it.’’

Albus snorted and then got up and left the room.

‘’Is that a yes?!’’ James asked when he was still in the doorframe.

Albus shouted a ‘yes’ and disappeared downstairs to find Scorpius, who was animatedly chatting with Lily and Hugo, and dragged him to their room without letting the boy say goodbye to the kids.

‘’What is all the fuss about?’’ He asked when they got there, rubbing his arm where Albus has gripped him.

‘’James just told me he has plans for us to get drunk with them and some group of strangers tonight.’’

‘’And what did you say?’’ Scorpius asked, excited to be doing something different for once.

‘’I said yes, of course, it’s not like I had a better option.’’

Scorpius looked relieved to hear that, and quickly jumped from his bed to fetch some clothes. He had gone shopping with his father before the trip since most of his clothes were robes and t-shirts about magic related stuff that any muggle would find weird, he remembered how even his father had got a pair of shirts and a scarf he particularly had liked, and he had picked up loads of summer clothes he found rather interesting. Excited, he put on one of those shirts, a navy blue one with flamingos printed on it, and a pair of embarrassingly bright pink shorts, and looked at himself in the mirror.

‘’I look good, don’t I?’’ He commented. ‘’Do you think I look muggle enough, Albus?’’

‘’I think you’re making a fool of yourself, but if you like it…’’ Albus replied, trying very hard not to laugh at the image.

Scorpius didn’t mind the fact his best friend was mocking him, he was too happy with his reflection in the mirror and ran to the bathroom in order to brush his hair in an acceptable way. Meanwhile, Albus put on a simple pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. 

‘’You look boring,’’ Scorpius said when he saw him.

‘’And you look as though you were an idiot, but hey…’’

He didn’t have time to say whatever he was going to say because James knocked on their door and urged them to be quick so that they wouldn’t be late. Albus couldn’t help but notice that Scorpius had applied some fresh perfume on himself and smelled rather good, and his hair did also look far too good in comparison to the normal mess he would show. Scorpius noticed Albus was staring, but swallowed the knot in his throat not willing to believe it and opened the door to meet James and Rose. 

The older boy almost choked when he saw Scorpius’ clothes, but Rose smiled at him and complimented the happy spirit they showed. Albus and James shared a subtle smile as they followed them out, but in no time it was James and Rose who led the way while the two best friends shyly walked behind them trying not to drag the attention to themselves. However hard they tried, Scorpius’ pink shorts and light blonde hair and Albus’ natural attractive looks were enough for everybody to immediately stare at them. They were kissed on the cheek several times by several girls, and their hands ended up sore from how many hands they had had to shake from all the boys in the group. Scorpius seemed to be enjoying himself with Rose and some other girl whose looks made Albus’ stomach twist with jealousy, but he didn’t step in the middle, as he had promised himself, and simply got lost in the music and the feeling of being a stranger in his own skin for the first time in his life.

Hours later, the music still blasted as loud, but Albus didn’t hear it quite as well. He didn’t know where James was, unaware of the fact that his brother had, in fact, convinced the girl who had got his attention to snog in a dark alley while the rest stayed down at the beach. The lights of the town seemed too far away and way too dim, they didn’t quite reach the beach and yet the moonlight made it easy for Albus to notice how many people there were, and how no one seemed to notice, or to care about, his presence in the middle of them. He had talked to a few girls, that was true, they had all tried to get it on with him but he had politely refused. So much that there was already a rumour about him being gay, and he wouldn’t have minded it at all if it wasn’t because no boy either had crossed his way with the same intention as the girls. It was so that he had found himself playing truth or dare with Rose, Scorpius, two local girls and a couple of tourists. He didn’t know how he had agreed to it, the boy who was leading the game had an application on his mobile phone that created the questions and the dares so that they wouldn’t have to think about it and he started it off easy, nothing too personal or too dangerous or gross. However, as more alcohol had been brought, the questions had gotten far more personal, and the dares weren’t just about oneselves. He saw his cousin confess who was the first boy she had kissed, and how the two local girls had to kiss each other for the delight of everyone around. He couldn’t deny that tension was running through his body as he knew the game could end in what he feared the most, and he was once again right.

‘’Rose!’’ The boy screamed, ‘’Truth or dare?’’

‘’Dare!’’ She replied, smirking as he took a sip of her beer can.

‘’So, you must tongue-kiss the boy at your right!’’ 

And it so happened, the boy at her right was no other than Scorpius Malfoy, whose face was glowing brighter than his shorts and he was thankful no one noticed in the darkness. He felt Rose’s hand hot on his cheek as he failed to take a step towards her, and so he just closed his eyes and waited for her lips to touch his’. She didn’t turn back, and soon enough their lips were locked together and somehow that seemed to inject life back into Scorpius’ body, who grabbed her by her waist and pulled her closer to him as their tongues shyly met. It wasn’t her first kiss, but it was his’ and he thought he was doing pretty well so he allowed himself to get lost in the taste of those lips he had dreamed of for so long, and the warm feeling they brought to him. He was enjoying it, but as soon as she broke apart, the thought of Albus hit him like a stone to his head and he felt a cold shiver running down his spine when he noticed his friend was missing. Rose stared around, clearly looking for him too, and it seemed as though she understood what was going on through Scorpius’ mind when she stared at him before he ran off to look for his best friend.

Albus wasn’t too far away, he had just gone to throw some rocks at the sea so that he wouldn’t throw them at himself. He felt bitter, he felt angry, but above it all he felt as though he had just lost the most important part of his life, everything he ever wanted had been right in front of his eyes, and he had been a coward. A miserable coward not to admit his feelings towards his best friend, the only person who had ever cared about him. He felt hot tears stream down his face but he didn’t mind it, it was too late. He felt useless, he understood why everyone hated him, he understood why he was a burden to his family. He was gonna pick up another stone when he felt a hand on his shoulder and startled in panic before realising it belonged to Scorpius.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ He asked, still not seeing the tears on his friend’s face.

‘’I just wanted to be alone for a while, you know, I don’t like the crowds.’’

Scorpius did not believe it, therefore, he sat down by his side and put his arm around the other boy’s shoulder.

‘’Are you okay?’’ He softly asked. ‘’You basically ran off without telling anyone.’

‘’’Course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?’’ 

‘’Look at me, please, Albus.’’

Albus didn’t want to, but he knew Scorpius would insist on it even if it meant staying right there all night and so he slowly turned around so that his friend could see his red cheeks and swollen eyes timidly lit up by the moonlight.

‘’Albus…’’ 

He wanted to say something, but he had no clue of what to say. He knew what it meant, and he felt like an idiot for not having noticed it before. He embraced his friend in a tight hug as Albus broke down, he felt tears spilled on his shirt but he didn’t mind, because he knew he was crying as well. He couldn’t say anything, but he doubted words would’ve been able to explain everything he was feeling, and so he let the hug do the work for him. Whatever needed to be discussed, they could keep it for when they weren’t feeling so lost.


	4. Chapter 4

They walked back home together, avoiding eye-contact or any kind of contact whatsoever. Albus felt impossibly stupid for having been so childish, and Scorpius just didn’t know how to react, nor what to do about it. It seemed to the blonde boy that his whole world had just turned upside down, and nothing could ever make sense anymore. He had received his first kiss from one of the prettiest girls he knew, he couldn’t deny he had liked it and yet… Albus had seemed so sad, and he didn’t want to think it was because he had kissed Rose. But he knew it had been so. He knew his friend wouldn’t have cried for any stupid reason, and nothing had happened besides from that. It was clear Albus had got jealous, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. He wanted to scream at him – ‘’why didn’t you tell me before? Why couldn’t you just be honest about it and stop me before I did that?’’ – but he made no sound, no move to get closer to him and ask him whether or not he had been crying over him. He didn’t even want to think about it, because a night that seemed wonderful had been totally ruined and there was no point in reminiscing.  

When they got to the house, they changed into their pyjamas in a tortuous silence that seemed to be banging drums inside their minds. Scorpius felt a sting of anger in his guts and he felt tempted to slap Albus’ face and make him talk, but he didn’t. Instead, he got into bed and fiercely pulled the sheets to one side and then onto him. If Albus was going to act like a little child then so be it, he thought, he would give him the same kind of treatment right back. 

Albus stared at the silhouette of his friend under the sheet. Scorpius was purposely facing the door and that fact didn’t escape Albus’ mind. He knew he should’ve said something, stop the madness that he had created. He felt extremely guilty because he knew he had ruined his friend’s night, and at the same time he felt relieved that his secret was out at last. Scorpius knew, his eyes had told him that. Scorpius knew that he had got jealous of the kiss between his cousin and him, and he hadn’t even blinked. He had hugged him, and he had been so stupid as to push him away after the first seconds had passed. It couldn’t be right to hold your best friend like that, it just couldn’t continue. He wanted to call him now, make him stop staring at the wall and stare at him instead, tell him that he was sorry but that there was no way to stop the fire that had started to grow inside him. The love that he felt towards him was no longer a brotherly kind but a romantic one, and he was almost sure that Scorpius’ heart didn’t love him as a brother either. He wanted to make him question it, he wanted to see if he had been right all along and yet he knew he couldn’t do that, so he quietly got inside his own bed and stared for several minutes at his friend’s back until sleep came to him.

‘’Wake up mate, it’s past 12 and everyone is gone.’’ 

Albus’ voice woke him up, and the soft feeling of the hand on his shoulder was so relaxing that he felt tempted to pretend as if he hadn’t heard it.

‘’Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?’’ 

‘’I thought you’d want to rest after last night…’’

Last night. Suddenly, a strange force made Scorpius finally get up and face his friend.

‘’Are we talking about it?’’ The blonde asked.

He knew he didn’t have to say what it was all about, for Albus’ expression gave away that he understood exactly what he was being asked.

‘’Do we need to talk about it?’’ He ashamedly replied.

‘’No, of course not.’’ Scorpius smiled and gently squeezed his friend’s hand. ‘’Let’s go, I’m starving!’’

They spent the rest of the time in Italy in a sort of magical bubble – not literal – as if nothing had happened, but something had undoubtedly changed. Rose had confronted Scorpius about their kiss, and he had found himself saying that he wasn’t interested, that it had all been a mistake that shouldn’t happen again. However, Albus and him seemed to be closer than ever before. The days and the nights passed away in a warm breeze that brought them back to life, but not back to normal. There was something about the way they stared at each other, something about the way Albus’ hands would rest far too long on Scorpius’ legs or shoulders. None of them knew how to behave, how to make a move to escape that awkward situation. But they didn’t care, because it felt actually good. It felt good to be so close, yet so far. It felt good to be near each other, to have a little taste of what it could be. Words weren’t necessary. They both knew what it would eventually come to be, what they were building together.

Before they realised, it was the last day of their holidays and even the sky seemed to be pretty sad about it as well. The adults suggested to stay home together and play games since it wasn’t a proper beach day, but the teenagers refused and the four of them went together to the beach. It was true it was cloudy and sorta colder than the other days, but it wasn’t too bad. They spent the whole day there, playing and laughing. Even James seemed to be nicer than ever, and Rose and Scorpius could interact without harsh feelings for each other. Albus was the quieter, and they all thought it was a result of the weather, but that wasn’t really it. He knew, and Scorpius knew as well, that their last night had to be special somehow. They both knew some things can only be said at night, some feelings can only be shown at night, and so they waited until James and Rose were distracted to disappear in order to watch the sunset together. 

Every minute passing by was like a curse coming undone on them. Slowly, their hands found each other’s and their fingers were laced together as they avoided to make any kind of eye-contact. The way the Sun seemed to disappear behind the sea was beautiful, but not as much as the image of the two boys holding hands on the top of the darkening hill. A chill air made them want to get closer to find warmth, and though nothing stopped them none of them moved a single inch. They waited until all light was gone, and darkness surrounded them and everything they had been ashamed to show. Then, without a single word, their lips found each other’s and they kissed. And in a second the curse was gone and so were they, together for the mystery of life and love had just appeared in their lives and they had to solve it.


End file.
